Planning a trip to Fairbanks

Driving Tips

Nenana: Tom Sawyer's Alaska

If you are driving south from Fairbanks toward Denali National Park or Anchorage, plan a short stop in the town of Nenana, about 60 miles along your way. It's a town out of a Mark Twain novel, a sleepy, dusty riverside barge stop left over from the past. Here President Warren Harding drove the golden spike on the Alaska Railroad in 1923; a monument with a depiction of the spike is on display outside the memory-stirring old depot museum, although the train hasn't stopped regularly in decades. On the waterfront, riverboats are still loaded with cargo for villages down the Tanana and Yukon rivers. That's also where you can see the Alfred Starr Nenana Cultural Center, with a little museum and Native craft shop, including some crafts by locals. The oldest building in town is the picturesque 1905 log cabin church on Front Street.

When to Go

Strolling Around Downtown

Exploring downtown won't take more than an hour or two, but there are a few interesting spots in addition to the ice museum and community museums. Start with the exhibits at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center at 101 Dunkel St. The visitors bureau there lends audio players with spoken tours for the other sights.

A graceful footbridge spans the river. On the other side, peek into the lobby of the Doyon Native corporation offices to see Native cultural displays from all over Alaska, the traditional Athabascan tool collection, and the colorful modern art hanging from the walls and ceiling. Downriver, toward Cushman Street, is the town's most interesting building, the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. The white clapboard structure, built in 1904, has ornate gold-rush decoration inside, rare for its authenticity, including a pressed-tin ceiling and stained-glass windows -- an appealing, if incongruous, mix of gold-rush and sacred decor.

Crossing back on the Cushman Street Bridge, you'll see on the left a large log cabin with a sod roof, the headquarters of the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race, where you can get race souvenirs and see displays of equipment that teach about the race and dog mushing. Next door, the Golden Heart Park is a waterfront plaza with a fountain and a bronze statue of a Native family, where community events often occur. Farther downriver, at 1st Avenue between Kellum and Bonnifield streets, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church is an old log church with a working rope-pull bell. It was founded by missionary and dog-sled explorer Hudson Stuck in 1904, who organized the first successful climb of Mount McKinley. The original church burned; the present structure dates from 1948.

Specialty Museums

Fairbanks has a lot of museums for a town its size, including those at the University of Alaska, at Pioneer Park, and at the commercial tourist attractions, all described later. Here are three unique museums to visit; the first two are within walking distance downtown.

At 500 2nd Ave., the Fairbanks Ice Museum  (tel. 907/451-8222) aims to show summer visitors a bit of Fairbanks ice carving. A big-screen, high-tech slide show plays hourly, explaining the annual World Ice Art Championships, and four expansive freezers with large picture windows contain ice sculptures with an ice artist usually at work. Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors and military, $6 for children ages 6 to 12, $2 for ages 5 and under. It's open from 10am to 8pm daily from May to September.

The Fairbanks Community Museum, in the old city hall at 410 Cushman St. (tel. 907/457-3669), is well worth a stop for the charming historical exhibits and the sense of local pride it contains. A series of cramped galleries offers up old photographs, maps, newspapers, and other bric-a-brac, as well as skillfully created explanatory exhibits focusing on the 1967 flood and the area's gold-mining history and development. An exhibit of whimsical photographs shows how modern-day Fairbanksans entertain themselves in the winter. Volunteers run the museum, open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm, with reduced hours in the off season. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. It is usually closed during April.

Beyond downtown, the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum (tel. 907/450-2100; www.fountainheadmuseum.com) is on the grounds of Wedgewood Resort, with more than 50 historically significant American cars predating World War II, many of them involved in Alaska history. Interesting displays show how Alaskans modified their vehicles for different tasks, such as cutting firewood, powering a boat, traveling on snow, and riding railroad tracks. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 ages 3 to 12, free 2 and under. It's open mid-May to mid-September Sunday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 6 pm; in winter, open only Sunday noon to 6pm.

Special Events

A recording of current local happenings can be reached at tel. 907/456-INFO (4636), maintained by the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau, which also posts an events calendar at www.explorefairbanks.com.

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/452-7954; www.yukonquest.com) starts February 4, 2012, in Fairbanks, and ends 10 to 14 days later in Whitehorse, Yukon (in odd-numbered years, the direction is reversed). Many mushers say this rugged 1,000-mile race is even tougher than the Iditarod.

The Nenana Ice Classic (tel. 907/832-5446; www.nenanaakiceclassic.com) is a sweepstakes held annually since 1917 based on who can guess closest to the exact minute when the ice will go out on the Tanana River. The classic starts with Tripod Days, the first weekend in March, when they set up the so-called four-legged tripod; when it moves 100 feet, it trips a clock, determining the winner. Thanks to the game, this is one of the most carefully kept climate measurements in the north; scientists have used it to demonstrate long-term warming of the weather. The Tripod Days celebration includes dance performances, dog mushing, and other activities.

Also in March, the World Ice Art Championships (tel. 907/451-8250; www.icealaska.com) bring carvers from all over the world to sculpt immense, clear chunks cut from a Fairbanks pond. Among ice carvers, Fairbanks ice is famous for its clarity and the great size of the chunks. Some spectacular ice sculptures stand as tall as two-story buildings. It's long been worth planning a visit around, but recent organizational problems put the future of the championships in doubt. Check for the latest, as many details are unknown at this writing.

The North American Sled Dog Championships (tel. 907/457-MUSH [6874]; www.sleddog.org) are the oldest running, taking place over 2 weekends in mid-March. Sprint mushers from all over the world compete with teams of as many as 24 dogs, streaking away from the starting line on 2nd Avenue or the Chena River.

Lots of events happen around the summer solstice, usually June 21. The Midnight Sun Run (tel. 907/452-6046; www.midnightsunrun.us) is a 10K race and walk, with winners chosen for both their times and their funny costumes. The race is run on a Saturday near the solstice. It starts at 10pm on the university campus and ends at Pioneer Park.

The Midnight Sun Baseball Game, hosted by the semipro Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks (tel. 907/451-0095; www.goldpanners.com), begins at 10:30pm on June 21. The game, which began with a pair of pick-up teams in 1906, is played with no artificial lights. The 'Panners have hosted since 1960.

Also in June, the free Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest (www.fairbanksfolkfest.org) fills a Pioneer Park lawn with music, food, and art booths; live music starts at 1pm and lasts late into the night.

The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, held the last 2 weeks in July on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus (tel. 907/474-8869; www.fsaf.org), brings artists of international reputation for performance and teaching. Classes are for all levels in music, dance, ice skating, visual arts, healing arts, literary arts, and other subject areas.

The Tanana Valley State Fair (tel. 907/452-3750; www.tananavalleystatefair.com), in early August, shows off the area's agricultural production, arts and crafts, businesses, and entertainment, and includes rides and competitive exhibits.

In late August, Friends of Creamer's Field (tel. 907/452-5162) hosts an annual Sandhill Crane Festival, with nature walks, lectures, and other activities, mostly at Creamer's Field.

Fast Facts

Banks -- Fairbanks has numerous banks with ATMs in the downtown area and along the commercial strips. Key Bank is at 100 Cushman.

Business Services & Internet Access -- FedEx Copy Center is at 418 3rd St. (tel. 907/456-7348). You can check e-mail for free at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center at 101 Dunkel St. and at numerous coffee shops.

Hospital -- Fairbanks Memorial is at 1650 Cowles St. (tel. 907/452-8181).

Police -- For nonemergency police business, call the Alaska State Troopers (tel. 907/451-5100) or, within city limits, the Fairbanks Police Department (tel. 907/459-6500).

Post Office -- At 315 Barnette St.

Taxes -- Fairbanks has no sales tax. North Pole charges 4%, with a cap of $8 in tax on any one purchase. Room tax is 8%.

Getting Around

Getting Around -- Fairbanks is designed around the car, and that's the practical way to get around. Without one, sticking only to downtown, you will leave with a low opinion of the place. The city is too spread out to use taxis much. Avis, Hertz, Dollar, Budget, Payless, Alamo, and National are located at the airport. Brand-name rental-car agencies do not allow driving on the region's unpaved highways.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough's MACS bus system (tel. 907/459-1002; www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/transportation) links the university, downtown, the nearby North Pole community, shopping areas, and some hotels. Service is every 30 minutes at best, worse Saturday, and nonexistent Sunday. Pick up timetables at the visitor center or online. Almost all buses connect at the transit park downtown, at 5th Avenue and Cushman Street. The fare is $1.50 for adults; 75¢ for seniors, children, teens, and people with disabilities; free for children 4 and under.

Fairbanks's car-oriented layout does not lend itself to using bikes as the primary means of transportation, but there are great mountain-biking opportunities.

Getting There

By Car or RV -- Fairbanks is a transportation hub. The Richardson Highway heads east 100 miles to Delta Junction, the endpoint of the Alaska Highway, then south to Glennallen and Valdez. The Parks Highway heads due south from Fairbanks to Denali National Park, 120 miles away, and Anchorage, 360 miles south.

By Van or Bus -- Alaska/Yukon Trails (tel. 800/770-7275; www.alaskashuttle.com) offers daily service, summer only, to and from Denali National Park and Anchorage (one-way fares are $55 and $99, respectively). In Fairbanks, the van stops at Billie's Backpackers and GoNorth hostels, among other places, and will pick up at the airport or your hotel for an added fee. The shuttle also runs as a tour to Dawson City and Whitehorse, Yukon. On most routes, they pick up and drop off along the way, but not in Canada.

By Train -- The Alaska Railroad (tel. 800/544-0552; www.alaskarailroad.com) links Fairbanks with Denali National Park and Anchorage, with tour commentary provided along the way. The high-season one-way fare is $64 to Denali and $210 to Anchorage (nearly twice the cost of flying between the cities); first-class, Gold Star service is $149 and $320, respectively.

By Air -- Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) connects Fairbanks to Anchorage. Fares vary, and sometimes there are bargains. A bargain round-trip fare can be just under $300. The airport is a hub for various small carriers to Alaska's Interior and Arctic communities. A cab downtown from the airport is $18 to $20 with Yellow Cab (tel. 907/455-5555). Airlink Shuttle and Tours (tel. 907/452-3337) charges $3.50, with a three-person minimum and $1 fee per bag, for a ride from the airport to anywhere in town.